Best budget wedding gifts

News & Guides 2020-1-31

Save some serious cash with these budget-friendly wedding gift ideas

Being a wedding guest can be expensive, paying for travel, accommodation and drinks all day if it’s not an open bar. On top of that, we Brits feel enormous pressure to buy our loved ones amazing and generous gifts, with our recent study showing we spend on average £44 per person on a wedding present, despite the happy couple’s expectation of just £30

So if you have lots of weddings coming up this year and you’re starting to worry about how much it's going to cost, we're bringing you some great ideas for budget-friendly gifts that the newlyweds will love.

Fill their honeymoon travel bags

Everyone needs essentials when they’re jetting off, from miniature shampoo and conditioner to sun cream and hand sanitizer. Why not stock up on travel essentials for them, throwing in some additional non-essentials such as massage oil for added luxury? They will love seeing what goodies they have and will really appreciate the saved trip to the supermarket in the midst of the honeymoon packing.

Photo frame or album

This one may seem cliché but take it from us, a recently married couple can never have too many. There’ll be hundreds of professional wedding day snaps they want to cherish forever, not to mention honeymoon memories, so the more space they have for those, the better.

Personalised artwork

If there’s been a name change as part of the wedding, they will not be able to get enough of personalised goodies. A great way to give them something sentimental while keeping costs down is to create a piece of scrabble art, spelling their names and any children or pets names within a montage and framing it.

Frame wedding memorabilia

A really unique but super affordable gift idea is to frame a copy of their wedding invitation. It may feel strange to do it as they gave it to you in the first place, but you'd be amazed how many couples end up without one for themselves when it's all over.

A date night in a box

After the madness of the wedding, they’ll want nothing more than an excuse for a quiet night in alone, so give them one. Fill a box with lots of little date night goodies, including their favourite movie, some gourmet popcorn and maybe even a voucher for their favourite takeaway if your budget will stretch.

A subscription to suit them

Whatever their passion, there’ll be a subscription package to match; you can get pretty much anything on subscription these days. From coffee to fresh flowers, movies to books, have a look what’s out there and give them the gift that keeps on giving.

Make their drink of choice

There are loads of cool kits out there now for brewing your own beer, making wine or distilling spirits. Not only will it make an amazing gift (you can even name it after them!) but it’s also a really fun hobby to keep doing after the event.

Money, money, money…

Lots of couples now ask for money – usually in the form of a honeymoon contribution – but we can feel awkward about how much is the right amount. Well, there are ways to combat this.

If they’re going somewhere more obscure, foreign currency is a great way of giving them what they want without feeling like you’ll be judged for the value.

Alternatively, if you know where they’re going, have a look and see if there are any top rated restaurants or attractions you could buy vouchers for. That way, you can contribute to the honeymoon without giving cold hard cash.

The most important thing to remember is that most brides and grooms just want their nearest and dearest to be there to share their special day with them. Our research revealed that almost a quarter of would-be brides and grooms don’t expect a gift or cash at all, so try not to worry.

If you have any other ideas of budget gifts, we’d love for you to share them with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Hitachi Hints and Tips is intended to be informative and interesting. It does not constitute financial advice, and you should always do further research when making any financial decisions. All information was correct at date of publication.